My recipe calls for Romas, which I did use, but I also used a few other varities, too–Sweet Cluster (really like this one in the salsa), Champion plus a couple tomatoes from my neighbor (Pink & Early Girl, I believe). I also added half of a Serrano pepper to this batch. If you’re not sure how much pepper to use, add it gradually. One final note, if the salsa seems like it needs a little something else, it probably just needs a little more salt. Seems like I always end up adding another ½ tsp. or so.

Salsa Fresca

Before you get started, go buy a box of rubber gloves from the drug store! Dice the jalapeños bare-handed at your own risk–you will get burned. Drinking a glass of milk seems to help. Other burn remedies include rinsing your hands with rubbing alcohol and applyling a baking soda paste.

Chop tomatoes. Strain as much of the liquid as possible off of the tomatoes. Mix all ingredients. Blend about half the salsa in the blender then stir together again with the rest of the salsa (this makes the overal texture a little smoother).

Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight before serving (if you can wait that long).

Toby and I left to run a quick errand the other day–so quick that he wouldn’t even be getting out of the car. Normally he’d take his little Cars backpack. This time he decided it should all go in my bag.

I just learned that a couple of my favorite artists (Over the Rhine & Lyle Lovett) will be on the Cayamo cruise next February. Randy’s probably taking a January trip to China. I’m thinking Jen might just need to take a little trip to St. Thomas at the end of February.

We caught the groundhog! I’m sure this is just what Randy wants to deal with tonight–relocating the groundhog. There’s so much growth going on in the area–neighborhoods, golf courses & shopping malls have taken the place of wooded areas where Randy’s taken critters in previous years.

I'd set the trap right where I'd observed him entering & exiting the barn.